by Sam Williams, co-CEO, Barley Communications
International Women’s Day always prompts reflection. With this year’s theme of ‘Give to Gain’ one thought keeps coming back to me: time is the scarcest resource we have.
Time to do meaningful work. Time to develop talent. Time to create an industry where everyone can see a place for themselves.
In communications, we often talk about diversity as a long-term goal. But progress depends on the choices we make every day about how we recruit, support and promote people.
A recent diversity audit showed that our team at Barley is more diverse than the industry average. The fact that this is particularly the case in terms of socio-economic background, state education and gender is particularly heartening for me as a working class woman. It’s encouraging, but it is not good enough. The communications industry still does not reflect the society it speaks to, and we all have a role in changing that. If we want better ideas, better campaigns and better outcomes for clients, we need a wider range of voices in the room.
The broader context makes that even clearer. The latest PRCA UK PR and Communications Census shows women make up around 53% of the workforce, yet a gender pay gap of around 17% remains across the industry. Progress is happening, but it is uneven.
That’s why mentoring matters so much. Over the last year, we’ve collaborated on fantastic initiatives including Resurgo’s Spear programme, and mentoring schemes with The Girls’ Network and the PRCA’s Race and Ethnicity Equity Board. Through these, I have seen first-hand how valuable encouragement and guidance can be. A conversation at the right moment can change someone’s confidence about where they belong. It can also help people see communications as a career they might never otherwise have considered.
Along the way, there are three lessons I have learned about building more inclusive teams.
First, give people work they genuinely enjoy.
There’s a reason I can still roll out the complete lyrics of Wham Rap at the drop of a hat more than 40 years after it was released. It’s not just an absolute banger, it’s a mantra: “Do you enjoy what you do? If not, just stop, don’t stay there and rot”. It sounds simple, but it matters. Our own team survey at Barley consistently shows that interesting, engaging work is the single biggest driver of job satisfaction.
That is especially true for younger professionals. Research shows younger workers are far more willing to change roles if they feel unfulfilled, and what used to be called job hopping is no longer seen as a negative. If people feel excited by the work, they stay and they thrive.
Second, judge people on performance, not presenteeism.
Trust is far more powerful than surveillance. Yet too often the push for more office time is framed as a cultural necessity. The language is usually about collaboration, creativity or protecting team spirit.
The recent decision by Publicis to mandate four days a week in the office is a good example of how this debate is playing out across our industry. The justification is often about culture, but culture is not created by counting how many people are sitting at desks. It is built through trust, leadership and shared purpose.
What ultimately matters is performance, not presence. Organisations that focus on outcomes rather than visibility create environments where people can do their best work.
That matters particularly for women. Despite progress, women are still more likely to carry the mental load of home and family responsibilities. When workplace expectations prioritise presence over outcomes, talented people can end up feeling they have to choose between professional success and everything else in their lives.
Third, set a clear path for career progression.
Across communications, women make up a significant proportion of the workforce but remain underrepresented at the most senior levels. The challenge is not unique to our industry. Across UK business, women hold around 43% of FTSE 350 board seats but only about 35% of executive leadership roles, according to the FTSE Women Leaders Review.
Clear expectations, transparent promotion criteria and structured mentoring can make a real difference. They reduce the space for unconscious bias and give people confidence about what success looks like.
Confidence itself is an important factor. Research suggests more than half of women experience imposter syndrome at work, compared with around four in ten men, according to findings reported by Personnel Today. At the same time, global workplace research such as McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report shows women are less likely than men to pursue promotions unless they meet every listed requirement.
That is why clarity matters. When people understand how to progress, it becomes easier for talent and performance to speak for themselves.
International Women’s Day is a reminder that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not always evenly distributed.
If our industry wants to keep attracting the brightest people, we need to use our time wisely. That means investing in mentoring, trusting people to deliver great work, and making career progression transparent and achievable.
When we level the playing field, everyone benefits. And so do the organisations and communities we serve.